A Promise
by MusicalPK
Summary: Mary must deal with the war and the changes it brings to her life and to the lives of her friends. Not the best description but this is my first attempt at fanfiction so please bear with me. Dickon and Mary pairing
1. Chapter 1

**AUTHOR'S NOTE: Hello everyone or anyone... I'm not actually sure anyone will read this but I had this idea for a story and thought why not! This is my first fanfiction... as I already said in the description... so yeah... here it goes. **

**Frances Hodgson Burnett wrote The Secret Garden and I am forever grateful! This was the first classic I ever read and it will always hold a special place in my heart. I do not own the characters but reading about their adventures has made them feel like friends and as I write about them it is almost like we are playing a new game. If that makes any sense. **

**Anyway here it is! I wish I could say I will update regularly but life tends to cause changes so I will do my best.**

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Echoes of war swept over England and soon became the only topic discussed at Misselthwaite Manor. It was a constant source of strife between Master Craven and his son, Collin. Archibald Craven wanted nothing to do with the war and was quite content to stay safe and tucked away at Misselthwaite. Collin, however, wanted to enlist and since his father would not even contemplate such an idea, Collin was determined to be involved in any and every possible way.

Mary hated these discussions and often would retreat to her garden and to Dickon. It was her greatest fear that he would be drafted into this war and yet when she saw him his smile drove away any thoughts of being afraid. The one time she tried to bring up the topic of the war he simple stated, "Now Miss Mary don't tha be borrowin' any trouble." So she never brought up the topic again. They worked side by side. Occasionally Mary would start chattering away about everything and nothing all at once and Dickon would listen. But usually they worked together in a comfortable silence.

Usually in those times of silence Mary would steal glances at her friend. He had grown from the boy she had met a few years ago into a healthy young man. He had grown in height and the years of working in the garden had not hurt his physique. His messy curly hair had softened into a gentle wave and the rusty color darkened into auburn. But despite these changes in appearance he remained the same. He was the same Dickon that Mary met all those years ago, the same angel just grown now. His eyes remained round and blue and the purity and innocence still lingered behind those eyes. He still charmed the animals and at some point he had charmed his way into Mary's heart. She never knew how or when but her love for him grew like the flowers in the spring. She never had expressed her feelings but deep down she felt he already knew. Her angel certainly seemed to know everything else.

She was wrong of course for Dickon did not know of her feelings for him; he only knew of his feelings for her. Dickon had been aware of Mary's growth from the spoilt child from India to the beautiful lady she was now. However since she was a lady and he was just a boy off the moor he tried not to dwell his feeling for her and would turn his thoughts elsewhere. It worked at time and yet at times it did not. Regardless of Mary and Dickon's unresolved feelings there was a peace between them. So the friends were content to work side by side in silence.

Today however was different. "I've been drafted." Dickon whispered. He spoke so quietly Mary almost missed what he said and when it registered what he said she wished she had not heard it. She stopped working and just stared at her hands her mind racing but she said nothing. Dickon had stopped working as well and was watching her face as the news sunk it was the first time silence had felt uncomfortable.

Mary's thoughts were in a whirl her worst fear had finally come true. Dickon was drafted. Dickon understood the magic of nature and could understand the robins and bring a garden and a girl to life. This angel was going to war. She had heard too much of this war and its many horrors from all those arguments between her uncle and cousin. "A fate worse than death," Uncle Craven had called it, "A place where you needed to kill or be killed." It was this thought the broke Mary's frozen state of shock as she burst into tears.

Dickon wrapped his arms around her and she buried her face in his chest and sobbed. Scared he might start to cry himself he whispered, "Now Miss Mary don't tha be borrowin' trouble." Mary in between her sobs looked up and pleaded, "Promise me you'll come back to me! I need you! Promise you'll try your hardest to come back." "Miss Mary tha doesn't need me." He said into her hair. She pulled away from him and looked at him her teary eyes locked with his blue ones. Her tears had stopped and her temper was rising and with a hint of anger she fumed, "Dickon! How can you not know how much I need you? You brought me to life with this Garden. We've grown up together and you always bring out the best in me. How dare you say I don't need you! And stop calling me MISS Mary. As if in some way I am your superior!" But as she stared into his eyes she burst into a new batch of tears and reached for him again muttering, "You are my best friend, Dickon. And I am hopelessly in love with you. Promise me you'll come back."

This time Dickon was shocked, she loved him; it was a wish he had never dreamed possible. "I love you too, Mary." He said at last. He looked down at her and wiped the tears from her eyes and kissed her. It was a simple kiss as delicate as kissing a flower but with a special magic behind it belonging to the innocents of the young couple. As they broke apart again she whispered, "Promise me." "Aye, as long as tha are here waitin' for me I will return to tha." He promised. "I'll wait for you" She promised. Dickon smiled and leaned in for another kiss but the creak of the door stopped them and instead they turned to see Colin walked in.

As they grew older Colin spent less time in the garden. The garden would always have a special place in his heart but having being confined all those years to his room the wall of the garden seemed to close in with time. So the times he did visit were random and the magic of memories would return to the three friends. This was the first time Mary and Dickon wished he hadn't come.

Colin was oblivious to the magic he had interrupted. He did notice Mary wiping away the few remaining tears from her eyes. "Mary what's the matter?" He asked abruptly. Mary did not answer for fear she would start weeping again. So Colin turned to Dickon. Dickon had yet to take his eyes off Mary but answered Colin, "I've been drafted." Colin's first reaction was that of joy, for it was Colin's dream to enlist, but as he watched Dickon's worried gaze on his dear cousin that Colin remembered Mary's tear stained checks. So Colin refrained from his congratulations and asked instead, "When do you leave?" Dickon glanced at Colin and knew he had to give an answer but was worried that his answer would again bring tears to Mary face and quickly brought his gaze back on Mary. "Tomorrow," He finally muttered. Both boys heard her sharp intake of breath but were thankful and proud to see that tears did not follow at least they did not follow now.

So the three friends worked in silence even the memories of yesteryear could not clear their heads of the thought of war. So it was not surprising that they did not accomplish much in the garden that day. How could one make things grow when one's head overflowed with thoughts of death. Time seemed to move at different paces for the three friends. Colin felt time moving slowly although not uncomfortable in the silence it was not how he pictured spending a day in the garden. For Mary however time was racing forward and although her hand occasionally brushed Dickon's hand he seemed to drift farther and farther away. Dickon felt the warmth of Mary's hand and tried to relish in the moment but knew time was moving ahead.

As the sun began to set Colin murmured something about heading back inside. Mary nodded but lingered behind as Colin left. She turned to Dickon his eyes for once did not hold the twinkling magic but an unfulfilled hopeless longing. She embraced him and whispers a reminder, "Don't forget your promise! I'll be waiting for you." To Dickon it all felt like a dream but he pulled away from Mary to study her. He wanted to remember her like this in the garden. Surrounded by the daffodils, under the oak, consumed by the twilight, she stood. But the nature around her could not compare to the beauty she possessed. And with a final look he left her there in the garden a place he knew she would be safe.


	2. Chapter 2

The arguments between Colin and his father increased after Dickon left. Colin hated to think that one of his best friends was out there fighting while he stayed behind. Colin understood the dangers of war despite what his father thought. He knew about the trenches and the rough conditions. His father thought Colin only wanted to enlist for the glory of it all, defeating the Central Powers saving England and becoming the Allies hero. His father thought the propaganda fueled Colin's desires to fight. At least this is what Collin thought his Father thought, that Colin's main motive was pride. And if Colin were honest with himself he would realize that his motive was pride. Colin wanted to enlist because every day more soldiers joined together to fight and Colin was left behind. Colin heard the household staff whisper as he passed them. Their sons fought proudly for their country while Colin hid behind his money. It did not matter that most of their sons were drafted; their sons were fighting while Colin stayed safe. It was this reason he wanted to fight to prove he was like the other boys. He explained it all to Mary. She suspected that Colin's desires stemmed from his childhood fears from lying in that bed being told he was different. Whatever the cause, the result was the same, Colin felt confined.

Mr. Craven was growing tired of the arguments. He did not want his son to fight for he still saw Colin as a little boy. He remembered Colin's childhood where he feared his child would die of a crooked back he inherited from him and he would have nothing left of Lily except for the knowledge that he failed her and their son. Then he discovered Colin walking in Lily's garden with Mary and Dickon. Words could not describe the relief he felt, his Son was well and safe. Mr. Craven just wanted to keep Colin safe. He wanted to keep Colin young and innocent and not have to face the burden of war. But the more they argued the more he realized it did not matter Colin would grow up. Colin devoured any news he could get about the war and Archibald Craven realized the days of sheltering his son were over. It was time for him to learn on his own through making mistakes. Every parent struggles with letting go only now he had to let his son go to war. So after Dickon left Archibald Craven reluctantly let go.

Emptiness overtook Misselthwaite seemingly overnight with the departure of Colin. Mary compared it to winter's poisonous first frost that killed her garden. Winter did not kill the garden but only put it to sleep till spring, as long as there was wick. And as long as she had Dickon's promise to return and Colin's promised letters there was the hope that Misselthwaite was simply hibernating like her garden in winter. However it was spring not winter. Mary no longer sought comfort in her garden for the garden that was once filled with magic was now filled with painful memories. Behind every bush and around every corner she saw traces of Dickon and Colin. Mary avoided her garden to avoid these memories and the weeds in the garden grew like the fears in her heart.

One day Archibald Craven walked into his library and found his niece nose deep in a book. At first he was surprised and glad to see his niece reading. Normally the library was the last room she could be found. She did enjoy reading but not as much as her work in the garden and if she did decide to read it was on a rainy day or she read outside. So, when he looked out the window and saw blue skies he realized something was wrong. "Lovely day," he pronounced. "Yes," she agreed without looking up from her book. "So on such a lovely day why is my niece in library instead of the garden?" He inquired. She looked up at him quickly; her Uncle rarely spoke about the garden. He stopped in occasionally after he discovered the three children there but he seemed to rather avoid the topic. "I felt like staying inside today." She finally responded. He accepted her answer and went about his day but something inside of him still wondered if something was wrong.

When he passed the library the next day and she was again sitting with a book in her hand, he really started to worry and he went to the garden to investigate. He opened the door and was met by weeds and he closed the door. He now knew something was wrong and made his way back to the library. "Mary, I need to talk to you for a minute, care for a walk?" He invited. "Of course," she agreed and they were off. Mary was a little curious about why her uncle requested their stroll especially since they walked in silence. They had not walked far when she asked, "Uncle, where are we headed?" She asked although she thought she knew for this walk was far too familiar. "Well to the Garden of course," he responded causally. She stopped abruptly and looked up at her uncle, "If the same to you I would rather go somewhere else." She muttered.

"Why are you avoiding the garden Mary?" Her uncle asked tenderly. Mary looked into his compassionate gaze and saw his resemblance to his son, Colin. Her eyes brimmed with tears as she replied softly, "The garden is so empty without them and I'm afraid. What if they do not come back?" Her Uncle sighed he knew about the pain behind empty spaces especially in that garden. "It's strange how an empty space can hold so many memories." He stated dryly with a small chuckle. Mary nodded trying to hold back her tears. "I see Lily in every flower of that garden," He began sympathetically. "But I have found hiding does not help any problem." "But it is so empty," she breathed so quietly Mr. Craven almost missed it. "Not if I go with you." He said. When she remained silent he continues, "I have avoided the garden even after you rediscovered it. It was still too hard to face her roses but I found that memories appear everywhere. I see Lily in your eyes and Colin's laugh and when forced to face those memories I realize she would want me in her Garden, happy." Mary sniffed then half smiled, "I cannot imagine Dickon would be happy to see the weeds growing in the Garden." She replied. "No, I doubt he would. So how about we go and prepare it for his homecoming." He replied and offered his arm and she took it.

It was a new source of comfort for Mary. Mary and her Uncle would head to the garden and pull the weeds and talk about the memories they strengthened their relationship. And for the first time she experienced the love of a father figure. Mary learned more about her Aunt as well as more about her uncle. Archibald learned more about his niece and noticed for the first time her feelings for Dickon. Together they faced the garden and the memories it held.


	3. Chapter 3

Death seemed to engulf the trenches. Descriptions such as " a living hell" and " constant nightmare" seemed to belittle the experiences the soldiers suffered. It was worse than anything Dickon could have imagined. Not even grass grew here; there was no wick for nothing existed that could produce wick. No birds to wake you up with song in the morning, the only sound was that of gunfire. No form of life anywhere. Death seemed pleasant compared to what they called life in this trench. Those who remained there whom physically appeared alive seemed to have a lifeless soul. How could someone with a soul intact kill others humans on the daily basis? No, these soldiers lived on auto pilot blocking emotion to try to hold on to whatever form of sanity they retained. Kill or be killed.

During the day in the heat of battle Dickon wished to die to escape. However at night he would escape the nightmare into a fitful sleep. Every night he dreamed the same thing: he was in the heat of battle dodging bullets and seeing explosions to his left and right. He would rush for cover and enter a doorway and as if by magic found himself transported back to Misselthwaite in the garden. Mary stood there right where he left her. Her eyes held a sparkle of excitement as she saw him enter and she reached out to him. Her hair blew in the wind and sunlight outlined her graceful figure forming a silhouette that took his breath away. She was safe there but the war raged on about them the wall around the garden protected them but you could see the flashes of red and hear the gunshots right outside the garden walls. He would turn to leave her to make sure she stayed safe but not before she called out, "Don't forget your promise! Come back to me." And then he woke up.

"These dreams gave the hope Dickon needed to fight another day. He needed to keep Mary safe in whatever way he could and once she was safe he would return to her. So he fought on for her. She wrote him letters reminding him she loved him and of his promise to her. She would also tell him of his family and how Martha and his mother were getting along. So in the mundane schedule of his days he clung to the memories of those he loved. For them he would fight; for them he would live.

In one of the earliest letters from Mary he read that Master Craven had eventually allowed Colin to enlist. Dickon was saddened by this thought and prayed that Colin was not facing the same horrors he had to face. One day as he marched through the mud and blood of the trenches he thought he saw Colin. He quickly did a double take only to realize that despite extremely similar noses it was not in fact Colin. Despite the immediate disappointment that this soldier was not his friend he felt a relief for he hoped Colin was stationed somewhere safer.

He glanced again at the Colin look-alike and that's when he noticed the gas cloud slowly approaching their position. He nudged his neighbor and pointed to the yellow cloud most likely mustard gas. The alarm was soon spread and everyone pulled their masked in place and started to abandon the first trench. Fighting with chemicals caused fewer casualties than a bomb or machine gun but usually lingered longer and would force them to abandon trenches. So when Dickon heard an unexpected scream he turned rapidly prepared to face the worst. It was the Colin look alike a huge crack ran up the side of his mask and he fell to the ground in pain. Dickon watched in horror. He should continue out of this death trap before it became a cloud of gas, but his head would not let him. This soldier might not be Colin but he was someone's son and someone's friend. So without much thought Dickon ran to him. He was unable to speak to him because of his own mask but scooped him up and buried the boy's face into his body attempting to keep this boy from inhaling as much gas as possible. Dickon turned to run back the way they came but the gas cloud covered the trench making it impossible to tell which way was which. Dickon finally did start to run toward where he thought he had come from but the cloud was too thick and soon Dickon ran into something and the gas faded to black as Dickon fell to the ground unconscious with not even dreams of Mary to comfort him.

Back at Misselthwaite Mary tossed and turned in sleep. Mary's dreams seemed very similar to Dickon's dreams but the dream that gave Dickon hope was a nightmare to Mary. She dreamed she was in the garden working away when she heard the creak of the door she turned and saw Dickon standing there. She would reach out and start to run toward him and as she raced closer she would notice he stood covered in blood. He remained standing despite being wounded and just stared at her. Before she could reach him they both heard an explosion outside the walls of the garden and he would turn to leave but not before whispering, "Stay safe." She screamed after him to not leave her to come back but he disappeared into the chaos behind the garden door. She screamed his name but the sounds of gunshots soon drowned out the screams from her voice.

Tonight was different she woke to a start after one of her dreams. Something was wrong she could feel it in her bones. Dickon was in trouble. She ran to her window and saw the moor restless covered with darkness and fog. The moor seemed at war with itself, clouds whirling rapidly and Mary thought she heard the cry of a bird. She watched in horror at her normally peaceful moor. Slowly the chaos stilled and the moors began to weep as heavy rain poured out. Mary turned abruptly from her window with her heart screaming something was wrong, Dickon was in trouble and the moor knew it. Mary always wondered if some type of magic connected her with Dickon but this was too dark. Her mind screamed logic at her heart but no amount of reasoning could take away her feelings of distress.


	4. Chapter 4

Colin's nights were filled with dreams too. However his nightmares differed from that of Dickon and Mary's. He never had the same dream twice and he rarely dreamt of the garden. He dreamed of the trenches and the men fighting there, men like Dickon. Colin dreamed of the trenches without ever stepping foot in one. The trenches needed more men; it was the Allies prayer for the United States to join their side. Still despite the need in the army, Colin enlisted into the Navy. His father partly influenced this decision. Danger lurked everywhere across Europe so no matter where Colin ended up, a risk remained, but the Navy seemed to shelter Colin to much of the bloody horrors of war.

Colin found the Navy suited him. His scientific mind turned over the blockade strategies and over the trouble the German U-boat seemed to cause. The U-boats truly fascinated him; never had a submarine been so effective in warfare before. Unfortunately the Germans seemed to have figured out the value behind underwater attacks and had taken out many of England's merchant ships. Recently there had been a plan for these merchant ships to travel in a huge group making it harder for a U-boat to target it. The new plan included an English submarine on which Colin would soon be stationed. He volunteered for a position on the submarine, but so did half of the British navy. Working on a submarine apparently seemed to be the dream of every navy man, and after months of tests and paperwork, he had been accepted. Colin had earned it.

At first Colin worried about being confined in the submarine for even the walls of the secret garden, his favorite place on earth, seemed to close in on him. However when Colin stopped to think about it, he realized his negative feelings did not come from the garden, but from the people there. Although Colin did not realize he had interrupted magic between Dickon and Mary the last time he entered the garden. He did know that magic existed between them. He knew it since their childhood. Before he even met Dickon, Mary told stories about him and when she did she no longer looked like the sickly child from India but a child brimming with life. At first jealousy overcame him, but as he grew it subsided, and the love he felt for Mary changed into a brotherly affection.

He was happy for them, especially since they seemed oblivious to each other's feelings. So he played the part of the annoying brother, and he teased, hinted and waited in anticipation for their love to grow. Despite his happiness for them, sometimes he felt a little awkward in the garden with them. He felt useless, confined and left out as they would share a tender moment. So he found he spent less time in the garden with his friends. Still he remained happy for his friends; at least he did before the war. The war changed so much including his lighthearted teasing. No longer did he view their relationship with hope. but fear. He expected Dickon to be drafted; it only surprised him how long it took. Once Dickon was drafted, Colin anticipated the worst. He feared this war would only bring hardship for his dearest friends.

Thoughts of Mary led to thoughts of Dickon. Thoughts of Dickon led to thoughts about the trenches. Thoughts about the trenches led to thoughts about the Navy. It made him even more thankful to be on the sea; still part of him felt a little guilty. He worried about Dickon, and when he worried about Dickon, it usually led to worries about Mary. His nightmares reflected this mess of thoughts.

Almost every night he would dream of Dickon. Unfortunately Dickon never survived any of Colin's nightmares, but every night Dickon died differently. Each night Colin watched in terror as his best friend faced bullets, explosions and chemical gases. Only the worst dreams did not contain explosions or bullets. The worst dreams included Mary. He would stumble upon his best friends only to find Mary weeping over Dickon's corpse. If something happened to Dickon, what would happen to Mary. So on his furlough, before reassignment to the submarine, Colin found himself in London and not at home. He could not go home and face Mary and her worried glances: her questions if he had heard anything about Dickon. So in London he was. He even found himself in a pub drinking with some fellow sailors.

Normally Colin avoided drinking. He felt alcohol robbed men of living life, but during the war alcohol provided just the distraction he needed. He heard it said once that misery loves company, and now he almost believed it for anytime he and his navy friends went somewhere they seemed to accumulate more soldiers. A common bond unified them; for war hurt everyone, and not even the strongest drink could replace the fear any man held in his heart. Tonight did not start out any differently; technically he and his sailor friends were celebrating their promotion, as much as anyone could celebrate in times of war. Soon a small group of soldiers joined them, and they all started swapping memories and tales about war and loved ones left behind. It was bittersweet; the love they had for their families and memories was evident, but the uncertain future loomed in front of them.

One man spoke about his four younger brothers, all spread out over Europe and his only sister at home alone. Another just out of the hospital, told about how he and his brother served in the same regiment. When a grenade went off he survived with minor injuries, but his brother died instantly. Next Colin's bunkmate told about his grandparents who raised him and the sweetheart he left behind. Colin told them his story about how he grew up and about Mary, Dickon and the garden: ending with news of how Dickon was drafted and assigned to the trenches. Colin's bunkmate sat and listened to the story: now understanding why Colin would scream out Dickon and Mary's names in the middle of the night.

Everyone gave sympathetic smiles except for the one soldier recently out of the hospital. "What is Dickon's last name?" he asked. Colin answered, "Sowerby." To which the soldier gasped then he proceeded to tell of his story in the hospital. Although his injuries were mild he was sent to a war hospital to be looked at, and while he was there a man was brought in to be treated from mustard gas burns. Although the wounds seemed to be mild, this soldier was experiencing one of the known side effects of the gas, amnesia. Normally amnesia would fade and not cause much of a problem; however, this soldier was unidentified. He had come to the hospital with two name tags, and they were unsure which tag belonged to this wounded soldier. The families of both men were a bit too far away to ask them to come identify him. Without knowing his name, there was no way to drop hints in hope of triggering a memory. For the remainder of his time there, he established a friendship with the soldier with two names. Before he left, he asked a nurse for the names on each tag. One of these tags contained the name "Dickon Sowerby."


	5. Chapter 5

Colin faced his first dreamless night since he enlisted in this dreadful war; dreamless not because he had a peaceful night's rest but because he was unable to sleep. How could he sleep; Dickon was in trouble and Colin knew it. Whether the man in the hospital turned out to be Dickon or not Colin knew nothing good could come from this situation. If this double tagged man was Dickon then Dickon laid in a hospital bed with injuries from mustard gas and forgetting his own name, let alone his life and Mary. But if this man turned out not to be Dickon the possibilities were endless.

The first question began with the word "How." How had this man ended up with two name tags? The next questions began with the word "Why." However the question with the words "What if" produced the most fear. What if this man was not Dickon? Which led to where would Dickon be? And then the what if's were endless. What if he was captured without his name tag? What if he was wounded somewhere without his name tags? What if he was dead? What if, what if, what if? These thoughts and questions kept Colin awake all night.

Time, once again, started to play tricks on Colin. These questions and endless horrible possibilities fed his mind with fear. So each second soon felt to be a lifetime of worries. But still morning came far too quickly and Colin was about to go and find out if any of his fears were justified. He would go to the hospital and try to identify Dickon. Colin disliked hospitals most likely because he disliked doctors. This fear was grounded in his childhood and the fact that he laid bed ridden for his first ten years of life with a false diagnosis. So nothing about this trip to the hospital seemed good to Colin.

He slowly approached the hospital's entrance. He recognized this building before the war. It had been an insane asylum but with the multiple casualties this war had brought it had been changed to a war hospital. He entered and the smell of blood and sickness overwhelmed him. Even the sweetest smelling roses from the garden could not bring hope in this dreadful place. It did not take long for Colin to explain his reasoning for being there. A nurse escorted him to the man's bedside. When they entered the room he started scanning the bed hoping to see Dickon and when the nurse pointed to a specific bed his heart sunk. This man was not Dickon Sowerby.

Once he knew, Colin wanted to run away as fast as he could but he stayed and held his ground. He filled out paperwork describing his relationship with Dickon and identifying that this man was not Dickon; while the doctors talked about notifying the families. Someone would be sent to the injured man's family so they could be told he was here while someone needed to go tell Dickon's family that he was officially missing in action. Colin did not know why but he volunteered to take this news home.

He had been avoiding home and part of him still wanted to. However the idea of some uniformed soldier breaking the news and the hearts of his friends back home overcame his dread of going home. So he went home bringing this unwanted and dreaded news. He had a week left of his furlough time just enough time to travel home, break the news, mourn a while with Mary, and then travel back. On the train ride he decided to go to the Sowerby's residence first before he broke the news to Mary. However as he approached their cottage he heard a voice he did not want to hear.

Mary had taken up the habit of walking to the Sowerby's cottage once a week after Dickon was drafted. Her first visit had been hard but she needed the comfort Mrs. Sowerby provided. At first they would sit sharing small talk but end up pouring out their hearts to each other. Mrs. Sowerby had long ago recognized the love Dickon had for little Mary and now knew it was reciprocated. So after they shared their fears, they soon shared their hopes. However Mrs. Sowerby, being the wise but also busy and practical woman that she was, soon started to teach Mary to cook. Mary loved it. Cooking provided just the distraction she needed. It kept her busy and hopeful as she imagined cooking for her Dickon someday. So the weekly visits were a time to look forward to. Today Martha had come along since it was her day off which made things even more fun at least so it began.

Colin heard Mary's voice, her laughter and it made him want to turn back. Yet he fought the urge and slowly walked up to the cottage door and knocked. He heard the muffled voices and soon the door swung open and he saw Mary standing there. "Colin!" she exclaimed with joy as she embraced her cousin. "I thought you decided not to come home for your furlough!" She said as she led him into the kitchen. "I changed my mind." He said simply. "Oh I bet Uncle was surprised I wish I could have seen his face." Mary said. "Actually I haven't gone home yet." He glanced at Mrs. Sowerby and as she studied his expression realization hit her and her face dropped. "Well then how did you know I was here?' Mary asked having completely missed their exchange.

"I didn't." He said sadly now watching Mary's face fall into confusion. She turned and saw Mrs. Sowerby's sullen face before she timidly asked, "Then why did you come here?" Colin sighed and all three ladies' hearts sank. Colin closed his eyes and took a deep breath. "Mrs. Sowerby I regret to inform you that your son Dickon Sowerby," He passed as his voice cracked. "Has been classified missing in action."


End file.
